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Ariel Helwani is widely considered to be one of the most prominent voices in the mixed martial arts community. The MMA Hour host recently called out critics of Jake Paul, who improved to 9-1 in his professional boxing career with a first-round TKO victory over Ryan Bourland this past weekend.
Speaking on his popular podcast, Helwani, who served as the commentator for the match, discussed Paul's level of competition, stating:
"You see people so triggered by this that, 'He's part of the problem' and, 'He's getting away with this.' Now these are the same people who said, 'Don't fight MMA fighters,' and then they said, 'Go fight someone your age and with your skillset.' And then he lost that fight and that could've been the indictment, that could've been the referendum. And now they're saying, 'No, no, no, don't fight these guys anymore, go back to fighting the other guys'. It almost feels like he can't do anything right in their eyes."
Ariel Helwani noted that he doesn't want to see Paul fight an opponent at the level of Bourland and wants to see him challenged. He went on to compare the mixed martial arts community's reaction to the fight to the reaction to Tyson Pedro's recent comments before adding:
"If you want to be an MMA person commenting on this, comment on that. Comment on the Tyson Pedro clip. I dare you. I dare you to talk about that. I dare you to talk about the class action lawsuit. I dare you. So, save me the takes. Save me the tweets. Save me your things on how this is ruining combat sports. Comment on how the sausage is made on the other side of fence."
Check out Ariel Helwani's comments on Jake Paul's boxing career below:
While Paul has faced criticism for the level of opponents that he has faced, he claimed that he is looking for a tougher challenge. The social media personality teased that his return to the ring could come on April 26th.
Ariel Helwani blasts Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway
Justin Gaethje is set to defend his BMF title against Max Holloway at UFC 300 next month. While much of the mixed martial arts community is excited about the bout, Ariel Helwani recently questioned the timing of the announcement, noting that it has affected a potential title bout, stating:
"If Max Holloway didn't get a fight against Justin Gaethje on April 13th for the 'BMF' title - that stupid belt that means nothing - it would be Max versus Ilia [Topuria]. Massive fight, [Santiago] Bernabeu [Stadium], put it in there, 80,000 people. The former king going up against the new king. That's the one. But no."
He added:
"This is what I said when they booked Gaethje versus Holloway. What did I say? 'Why? Just wait to see how this one plays out.' It's these thrown-together fights that have no significance or stakes. Fabricated. It should be Holloway versus Topuria... We've been hearing for years it's about the 145 belt, but now we're forgoing that for the BMF title?"
Check out Ariel Helwani's comments on the featherweight title picture below:
It remains unclear who Ilia Topuria will face in his first featherweight title defense. However, Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega seem like the two likely options. 'The Great' will likely receive an immediate rematch if he chooses to return when 'El Matador' is ready to defend his title.
